How to get the best haircut for your face shape

You must have seen those memes showing a person sobbing right after they leave the salon after a haircut, after telling the stylist that they like it even when they don’t. Haircuts are life-changing—one wrong snip and you’re stuck with something you’re unhappy with, but have to look at, for a few months at best. While most people stick with a basic trim, if you’re looking something a little more drastic, there’s always a risk of walking away dissatisfied. Rod Anker, Delhi-based hair expert gives us his top tips on figuring out which haircuts looks best on each face shape.

While reading up before your haircut is a good start, Anker insists that you pop into a salon for a free consultation and allow the experts to determine your face shape as opposed to believing what you’re told. “It’s best to seek professional help as a lot of the times we tend to believe what friends or family tell us, versus the facts. Your mum has always told you that your face is long, so without question, it’s long. Go and visit a professional salon for a free consultation and ask as many questions as possible,” he advises.

For your reference, these are the most common face shapes along with their most prominent features:Oval: Your forehead will be a lot wider than your chin and jaw area.Round: Round, chubby cheeks with the rest of the face equally wide on all sides.Square: Equal width and length of face.Heart-shaped: Wide forehead with prominent cheekbones and a narrow jawline.Long: Narrow forehead and jaw, length of face longer than width.

Anker’s top tips to keep in mind when going for the chop:

A round face needs length to stretch out the shape while a square face needs rounding off to soften and add height. A long face needs width to complement the length. A heart-shaped face can work almost any hairstyle with ease.

Even your parting should be placed in the right spot to ensure the onlooker’s eye goes where you want it to and is distracted to what you don’t want it to see.

The perimeter of your hair (your hairline extending from your forehead to your ears and finishing at the back of your head) is the final shape that you have so make it work best for you.

Colour can play a huge role in face shape also, as it has the power to reduce weight or add volume by appearance; by lightening an area you eliminate the appearance of hair therefore reduce it without removing it.

Don’t ask for fullness or a puff just because everyone has it—very few can actually carry it off.

Has the rainy season got you stressed about how to take care of your hair? Has frizz management taken over your entire beauty routine? Twice a week, we will help you navigate the muddy pool that is the monsoon with our ‘Monsoon Hair Handbook’ series. Check back every Tuesday and Thursday this season for more.